How the Pandemic Will Redefine Home As We Know It

With everyone spending more (if not all) time at home — working, teaching, cooking — home itself takes on an entirely new meaning. The rooms in which we once spent few hours during the day have grown all too familiar, hosting everything from our late-night Netflix binges to our afternoon yoga classes. So, as people around the world continue to shelter in place, the future of home building and design will undoubtedly change course. Below, find out how the global pandemic will completely redefine how as we know it.

Millions of people in the U.S. are now working remotely, even though few homes are suited for a rigorous nine to five. So, as employees settle in and hunker down, they will begin to reevaluate the versatility of spaces within their homes. Can you maintain solid focus at the kitchen counter? Or would you accomplish more within a quiet, secluded room where you can set up two monitors?

Not only will offices become the new norm in homes, apartments and beyond for productivity reasons, but it’s likely that companies will begin to reassess the necessity for physical office space if they can save money and their employees can fulfill their roles at home.

Home should be a place where you can fully relax and decompress, not a space where you feel confined and trapped. For that reason, open-concept floor plans have become highly desirable throughout the years (particularly in a place like Los Angeles), and while this trend will surely continue on its path, the notion of functionality will have to be reconsidered.

In many new homes, open kitchens often flow into large living spaces, which thus flow seamlessly outdoors. This airy design allows for ample natural light and free-flow living, but this connectivity between spaces may also be a detriment to privacy — whether you’re working from home, teaching classes via Zoom or otherwise. That being said, we might just see a modified floor plan with more options for flexibility — like, say, sliding pocket doors to close off certain rooms without compromising a beautiful open-concept design.

You’d think that a clean, simple space would be the key to productivity, right? That may be true if you spend only a few waking hours at home. But for those who are working all day from their sofa, home office, dining room table or bed (let’s hope not, though), it’s crucial to feel inspired by art, colors and even mementos that are meaningful to you. This is your space and it should be a clear, bold reflection of you.

Don’t pretend like you haven’t thought of redoing some aspect of your home during these last few weeks. We all have. Minimalism has been a major design trend over the last few years, and while it’s aesthetically wonderful, is it fully conducive to a comfortable, flexible lifestyle? Maybe you want to break from the neutral palette and add in a pop of blue. Or perhaps you want to take down that one simple painting in the living room and curate an eclectic gallery wall. Interior design will surely see a major spike in personality due to increased time at home.